


No Monsters in the World

by intersstellar



Category: Percy Jackson and the Olympians - Rick Riordan, The Heroes of Olympus - Rick Riordan
Genre: Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Anxiety, F/M, Fluff and Angst, Fluff and Hurt/Comfort, Hurt/Comfort, Sleepy Cuddles
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-11-11
Updated: 2019-11-11
Packaged: 2021-01-28 22:13:29
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,248
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21399472
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/intersstellar/pseuds/intersstellar
Summary: Annabeth wakes up from a nightmare and Percy is there to comfort and help her back to sleep.
Relationships: Annabeth Chase/Percy Jackson
Comments: 2
Kudos: 129





	No Monsters in the World

**Author's Note:**

> For context, Percy and Annabeth are sleeping in Rachel Dare's old room in the Big House. I realized after I wrote this that this idea was actually just a headcanon, but I was so committed to it that I accepted it as canon.

The night was quiet, and Annabeth was panicking. 

She’d woken from a nightmare only minutes ago. She couldn’t remember what she was dreaming about, only that she was scared, and now she couldn’t bring herself to ignore the fact that the shadows along the wall looked an awful lot like monsters. 

Fear poured through her, clouding her mind. Her heart was racing. A small, rational voice rose up through her panic. What was she scared of? 

Everything. Nothing. Hands that weren’t touching her, monsters she couldn’t hear. The room was dead quiet, and she was dying. 

She clutched her blanket around her. It was damp—she was sweating. Her hands were shaking. Her entire _body_ was shaking. The shadows were moving along the walls, and her mind was working faster and faster, spiralling down and down. The walls were closing in, and so was the darkness. More despair washed through her. __

_ __ _

The weak, reasonable voice inside her head tried to fight against the wild windstorm of terror in her mind. The table light was on, isn’t that what was making the shadows? The clouds were moving outside, wasn’t that why the shadows were swaying? 

_ __ _

It didn’t matter. It didn’t matter. They were monsters, and they were coming, and the walls were closing in. Closer and closer and closer. 

_ __ _

She was alone, abandoned, and she was the only one who’d believe what she was seeing. Just like the spider attacks in her room at her dad’s house, just like the nightmare visions that plagued her at night. Just like Tartarus. 

_ __ _

Someone stirred beside her. Percy. She was breathing hard, and blood was rushing in her ears. She wanted to call him, but she couldn’t tear her eyes away from the shadows on the wall. “Percy,” she breathed. She couldn’t even hear herself. “Percy.” Her voice broke. 

_ __ _

Her nails were digging into her palms, even through the sheets. Percy stirred. “Annabeth?” His voice was rough. 

_ __ _

Her hurricane of fear roared, but she heard his voice clearly. “Percy.” It sounded almost like a sob. 

_ __ _

“Hey, hey,” he said softly. He sat up beside her and weaved an arm around her waist, pulling her against him. “It’s okay.” 

_ __ _

The windstorm began to falter. He was rubbing his hands along her back, through her hair. “It’s okay,” he said. “It’s okay. I’m here now.” 

_ __ _

The last of her fear washed out through her feet and crumbled away. She dropped her head against his chest. He ran his thumb along her cheek. “It’s okay,” he whispered. 

_ __ _

Annabeth closed her eyes. Her eyelashes were wet. She took a shaky breath, and tried to match her breathing with his. All the energy had drained out of her. Her hands were still trembling. 

_ __ _

“You okay?” Percy asked gently. 

_ __ _

“Yeah,” she breathed. _But don’t stop holding me. Don’t leave_. __

_ __ _

_ _ _ __ _ _ _

_ __ _

He rested his head on top of hers, still rubbing her back. “Are you going to go back to sleep?” 

_ __ _

_ _ _ __ _ _ _

_ __ _

A beat of silence. Then another. “I don’t think I can."

_ __ _

_ _ _ __ _ _ _

_ __ _

Minutes passed, and they stayed that way, Percy's hand running up and down her back, until her hands didn't shake anymore.

_ __ _

_ _ _ __ _ _ _

_ __ _

"Do you want to go on a walk?" he asked. She felt his voice on her ear against his chest.

_ __ _

_ _ _ __ _ _ _

_ __ _

She paused, lifting her head. “Yeah. I do.” 

_ __ _

_ _ _ __ _ _ _

_ __ _

He might have smiled, though it was hard to see in the dark. He found her hand and stood, pulling her up off the bed with him. Still holding her hand, he pulled her out the bedroom door and down the hallway. She couldn’t help but smile a little. Him, tugging her arm and leading her somewhere, with a small smile and a light in his eye—it was so familiar. The thought sent a warm feeling through her, so strong the monsters were forgotten. She wasn’t alone, not anymore. She had him. 

_ __ _

_ _ _ __ _ _ _

_ __ _

Percy led her outside, into the nighttime gloom. Fear trickled back into her stomach, but she focused on the warm touch of his hand, on the sound of his breaths and his footsteps. 

_ __ _

_ _ _ __ _ _ _

_ __ _

There was a cool breeze outside, and Annabeth was wearing only an old camp training shirt and sweatpants. She shivered. Percy caught her eye and pulled her against him, stopping at the railing of the Big House porch. The porch light was on, but the rest of the camp was in total darkness, illuminated only by the moon. 

_ __ _

_ _ _ __ _ _ _

_ __ _

Percy was looking at her. He had a slight crease in his brow, which she’d come to learn meant he was trying to read her mood without asking. Either because he got tired of speaking or he thought she had. 

_ __ _

_ _ _ __ _ _ _

_ __ _

He didn’t break eye contact. “You okay?” he asked. 

_ __ _

_ _ _ __ _ _ _

_ __ _

If it were anyone else, she would’ve tried to read into the question. If it were anyone else, it could’ve meant something completely other than what it was. It was exhausting, sometimes, always guessing what people really wanted to say. But Percy never said what he didn’t mean. He was a break from all that. 

_ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ _

She looked into his eyes again, finding strength in his quiet expression. He looked concerned, but she knew he couldn’t stop himself—he wore his feelings on his face all the time, at least to her. She could read him better than anyone else. “It was a nightmare,” she said quietly. “Well, sort of. A feeling. Fear.” 

He was silent. He gave her waist a gentle squeeze. _I know_. __

“I was... It felt like—” Her voice broke. “Like in Tartarus.” A flash of pain shot through his eyes. Her heart ached in turn. “Like monsters were coming at me from every angle. You were asleep, and I felt like I was going to be attacked and no one would find out. No one would believe me.” 

He didn’t say anything, weighing her words. Then he wrapped both his arms around her and pulled her against him, as close as she could come. “I believe you,” he said. “I’m here.” Tears welled up in her throat. “You don’t have to be alone. I’ll fight the monsters with you.” 

_ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ _

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

_ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ _

She buried her face in his shoulder. “I love you,” she said, right next to his ear. “I love you.” 

_ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ _

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

_ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ _

He squeezed her tighter in response. 

_ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ _

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

_ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ _

A light shone on then from the darkness. She pulled away. It was a camper walking with a flashlight to the bathrooms. 

_ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ _

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

_ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ _

“Inside?” she asked. Percy nodded. 

_ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ _

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

_ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ _

They walked together through the back doors and up the stairs, down the hall. Percy walked into their room, but she balked. Anxiety settled into her again. Her feet wouldn’t move. 

_ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ _

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

_ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ _

Percy looked back at her, then at the bed. He took her hand in his. “It’s okay, come on,” he said softly. He lay down on the bed and pulled her in after him, throwing the sheets over the two of them. He pulled her close against him, but the fear in her core was still there. She pulled away and turned to lie face-to-face with him. He read her face, even in the dim light. 

_ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ _

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

_ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ _

He moved closer and kissed her cheekbone, right under her eye. “I won’t fall asleep until you do,” he promised. A smile tugged at his mouth. “We’ll stay up the whole night if we have to.” 

_ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ _

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

_ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ _

The fear in her dissipated, overtaken by the wave of comfort that washed through her. She lay her head forward, her nose almost touching his chest. Her eyes drooped.

_ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ _

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

_ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ _

No monsters in the world could get her here.

_ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ _

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

_ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ _


End file.
